


For the Virtue I'm Too Late to Save

by volee_weva



Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/F, Flushed Romance | Matesprits, M/M, Pining, Realization of Feelings, quadrants, rarepair
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-31
Updated: 2016-05-31
Packaged: 2018-07-11 10:14:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7044223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/volee_weva/pseuds/volee_weva
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Damara felt the inside of her chest tighten and her hands get surprisingly moist. Uh oh."</p>
<p>--</p>
<p>In which Damara Megido realizes what she's looking for in a Matesprit.</p>
            </blockquote>





	For the Virtue I'm Too Late to Save

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know where this came from, but I was listening to "The Sadder But Wiser Girl" from The Music Man and this drabble happened. 
> 
> Title taken from the song. 
> 
> I really love Damara and Cronus being quasi-moirails.

“Howv about her? Ya gotta admit, she’s pretty cute, evwen vwith that vwhole tomboy thing–“

"No.” Damara glowered at Cronus from across the table. She narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips in what she hoped to be an intimidating facial expression, but she knew that, no matter how much she resisted, nearly everyone she came in contact with was trying to mend her broken heart. Sure, Rufioh breaking up their matespritship came out of nowhere, and sure, Damara had found some… Less than savory partners to properly rebound with, but now that about a half a sweep had passed, anyone would could corner her long enough was trying desperately to get her back out into the dating pool through any means possible, from blind dates to extraordinary ‘wingman’ abilities. 

She had no idea her quadrant life meant so much to everyone, and part of her really enjoyed the attention, at first, but things were getting old. She couldn’t bear to listen to Latula ramble at her again about the importance of a healthy matespritship, or deal with Kankri’s offhanded and debatably offensive comments on her promiscuity. And she especially couldn’t handle Cronus Ampora, of all people, trying to set her up with any and everything that moved (excluding Kankri, of course; seriously, Cronus’ crush on that tight-ass redblood was hilarious and, strangely enough, sort of endearing. But Damara didn’t give them a lot of thought because, honestly, she really didn’t care for either of them.)

The violet blooded troll leaned back in his chair, “Awv, geez, Damz, you'vwe said no to pretty much anyone I'vwe pointed out.” He put an unlit cigarette in his mouth and smirked. “I’m gonna start thinkin’ you don’t vwant my advwice.”

“I don’t.” Damara rested her chin in her hand, glancing away. 

“C'mon, babe, you can trust me!” Cronus winked and Damara wanted to punch his lights in. “I'vwe got great taste. I’ll get ya a Matesprit in no time.”

“Don’t help.” Damara glowered, her mind racing to translate her feelings of annoyance into words he would understand. “Don’t want advice.”

Cronus rolled his eyes, attempting to cover up his frustration with his ‘cool guy’ persona, “Alright, doll, don’t take my advwice. But, at least listen to my suggestions.”

He plucked the fresh cigarette from between his teeth and used it to point as some trolls strolling by, “Vwhat about Aranea, huh? She’s always been kind of cute, and pretty damn smart, too.”

Damara glanced up at where Cronus was pointing and glared at Aranea. She seemed to float in place, chit chatting with a gaggle of assorted indigo bloods, her blue lips twisted into a falsely compassionate smile that Damara could see right through. It was always the supposedly innocent ones who spun the most trouble.

“No.” She shook her head, collapsing back into her seat. “Too many webs.” 

Cronus grumbled, “Girl, you’re makin’ this too hard for yourself. Vwhy can’t you just take a chance? So she’s got a thing for spiders, big deal.”

Damara didn’t respond, hoping that that would be enough of a hint for Cronus to take his leave. But, of course, Cronus Ampora was an idiot who didn’t understand subtle (or not so subtle) conversational subtext. And maybe she was an idiot who, for some psychological reason, didn’t want him to stop trying to find her someone to fill her flushed quadrant. Had she really been worn down by everyone that much? She needed to close herself off for a little bit, if she was seriously considering Cronus Ampora’s little game of Hot or Not to be helpful to her. 

He continued, prattling on about how, despite differences, Damara shouldn’t nitpick in potential matesprit partners, and so on, but right now, she couldn’t bring herself to listen to him, because Porrim Maryam happened to stroll by. 

Seriously, someone who wore an evening gown everyday should be more noticed out in public, but Porrim walked through the crowds with her head held high and not so much as a second glance from most of the passersby. Nearly everything about her gave off an air of exquisite, from her artfully sculpted hair to her swirly tattoos that made one’s eyes dizzy after following their patterns. There was something, though, missing from her flawless appearance, and Damara didn’t know if anyone else could see, but she could pinpoint the lack of luster in Miss Maryam’s eyes. Despite her absolutely beautiful proportions, the effervescence she should be exhibiting didn’t shine through. It was as if she was putting on an act, to hide herself with a flashy and impeccable exterior.

Damara, however, could see past it. She saw the smile the didn’t quite reach Porrim’s eyes, and the methodical toss of the hair and the way the jade blooded troll fiddled with her labret with her tongue as her gaze glazed from troll to troll, assessing them thoroughly with every flick of her glance. Porrim seemed to spend so much time analyzing her fellow trolls that, when one random troll slinked over and tried to strike up a conversation with her, she ruefully plastered on a smile and turned away from him without so much as a “hello.” 

Now, some would think this sort of behavior rude, but Damara knew better than to pity the poor troll who tried to seduce Porrim Maryam with a simple “how you doin’, baby?” Porrim was honest. She had had enough on-and-off quadrant relations to know when someone was just looking for an easy date. A one night stand. And Porrim would stand for it no longer. 

Damara, of course, like anyone else, had always found Porrim to be a mesmerizingly beautiful jade blood, but she could see something more beyond her aesthetically pleasing appearance and obvious promiscuity. Porrim was like her, but more graceful, despite all the failed matespritships and other quadrant relations. She understood what it was like to be hurt, to be broken, to face the rejection of a failed quadrant relationship, which was something Damara hadn’t been able to find in anyone else before. 

As if her thoughts and gaze were palpable, Porrim turned her head ever so slightly to let her eyes skim over where she sat with Cronus (who’s blathering was, strangely, reminiscent of Kankri). Porrim’s unreadable expression seemed to burn into her skin as they held eye contact for that brief eternity. Their staring contest broke as Porrim turned and the crowd crossed over her line of sight, but the memory of that exchange lurked in her mind. Damara felt the inside of her chest tighten and her hands get surprisingly moist. Uh oh. 

A snap of fingers just centimeters from her nose brought her back to reality, “Hey, Damz, focus.” Cronus furrowed his brows. “Nowv, c’mon, you gotta help me out a little here. Vwhat sort of troll’re you lookin’ for, anyvways?”

She took a brief moment to glance back to where Porrim had disappeared in the crowd before she answered softly.

“Sad. Sad, but… Wise.”


End file.
